By Stephen Ojo, Minna
Community leaders from Borgu and Agwara Local Government Areas of Niger State have raised fresh alarm over the continued captivity of more than 50 persons abducted during recent terrorist attacks on Papiri and Kansuwa Daji communities, five weeks after the incidents.
The leaders made the appeal during a joint press briefing held on Sunday in Suleja, calling on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to urgently intervene and secure the release of the victims, most of whom are children.
Addressing journalists, the Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Niger State chapter, Most Rev. Dr. Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, Catholic Bishop of Kontagora Diocese, described the security situation in the affected areas as “dire and worsening.”
Flanked by Dr. Murtala Haliru Dantoro, a prince of the Borgu Kingdom, and Mohammed Sani Ibrahim, leader of the Muslim community in the Emirate, Bishop Yohanna said repeated terrorist attacks have crippled daily life, forcing schools to shut down and farmers to abandon their farmlands.
“So far, over 50 persons abducted during the Agwara and Kansuwa Daji attacks—mostly children—are still in captivity,” he said. “For more than five weeks now, these innocent victims have not been rescued. Christians and Muslims alike are affected. Our people are helpless and crying for help.”
The cleric urged the Federal Government, particularly President Tinubu and the National Security Adviser (NSA), to immediately strengthen security in Agwara, especially Papiri town, where St. Mary’s Private Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools are located.
The leaders also called for the establishment of a permanent military base in the area to guarantee round-the-clock security, warning that continued inaction could further erode public trust in government.
“Borgu Kingdom is bleeding. Families are being torn apart and livelihoods destroyed,” they lamented, appealing to President Tinubu—whom they referred to as Jagaban Borgu—to approve emergency funding to empower security agencies to tackle the escalating crisis.
They assured that local vigilante groups, traditional institutions, and community members are ready to collaborate with security agencies.
The leaders further demanded the declaration of Borgu and Agwara LGAs as security priority zones, immediate deployment of military units, reconstruction of the Agwara Police Station, and intensified surveillance of surrounding forests and highways. Follow Krestnews.com